Largest tires for Sprinter Vans
Related to our collection of Sprinter wheels. We talk about tires and more importantly for many of you… what is the largest tire I can’t fit on a Sprinter?
Ever wonder what fits a Sprinter Van? Here’s some research we’ve done to find the right size and the right tire.
The fine folks at VanCompass have done a ton of homework on what tires will fit both on stock Sprinters as well as one’s that are lifted. BTW, they make a killer lift kit for 2WD and 4WD vans.
Here’s a full tire size chart to help with all wheel sizes
2WD 1994-2006 T1N Sprinter (Mercedes Benz, Dodge, Freightliner)
Stock tire size: 225/75/16 (not dually)
(118” wheelbase vans have 15” wheels and smaller tires)
245/75/16 Largest size before you need a lift
255/70/16 Largest size with a lift on a 118”
235/85/16 Largest size that will fit (taller but skinnier)
265/75/16 Largest size but you need to cut the body to fit.
Unsure if 17” wheels will fit… Check back
2WD 2007-2021 Sprinter (Mercedes Benz, Dodge, Freightliner)
Stock tire size: 245/75/16 (not dually) same side as 4x4
275/70/16 Largest size before you need a lift for a 16”
275/65/17 Largest size before you need a lift for a 17”
265/75/16 - ideal size (What we had installed for 50,000 miles)
285/75/16 largest size with front mudflap and front bumper trimming and 14mm wheel spacers
285/70/17 largest size with front mudflap and front bumper trimming and 14mm wheel spacers
4x4 2015-2018 NVC3 Sprinter 4x4
Stock tire size: 245/75/16 (not dually) same size as 2WD.
“295/70-17 Cooper ST Maxx on 17” Method Wheels installed. The 295 is extremely close to the front strut and there is minor rubbing on the mud flap. Need to remove a small amount of material. I think this is the max size that will fit without major cutting.”
275/70/16 - ideal size for stock 4x4 height
285/75/16 - Largest tire size without much issue.
285/70/17 - Largest tire size without much issue.
With 2” VanCompass Lift (this lift is only needed if you really want to go to this larger tire sizes)
295/75/16 - largest size, you need 14mm spacer for strut clearance - no 907 cruise control
305/70/17 - largest size, you need 14mm spacer for strut clearance - no 907 cruise control
4x4 2019-2021 907 Sprinter 4x4
Stock tire size: 245/75/16 (not dually) same size as 2WD.
Anything larger than stock requires the front mudflap to be relocated/trimmed.
Note: 275/70/17 or 32.2 diameter is the max size that will work with adaptive cruise control
275/70/16 - ideal size for stock 4x4 height to keep adaptive cruise control
285/75/16 - works and looks great, 907 adaptive cruise control with have and error and won’t work.
285/70/17 - works and looks great, 907 adaptive cruise control with have and error and won’t work.
With 2” VanCompass Lift (this lift is only needed if you really want to go to this larger tire sizes)
315/75/16 - largest size, you need 16mm spacer for strut clearance - no 907 cruise control
315/70/17 or 35/12.5. R 17 - largest size, you need 16mm spacer for strut clearance - no 907 cruise control
Easy fit vs. Tight fit
265/70R17 left
285/70R17 (larger) right
All tires considered here required to fit either a 16” or 17” wheel size (popular stock wheels and aftermarket sizes). Also, they need to be available in an E-rating.
What is an E-rating?
The tire ply rating determines the tire’s strength and capacity. It basically translates in direct way to the tire’s capabilities and limitations, especially when it comes to inflation and load capacity. Basically, the Sprinter is heavy van and made to haul a load. If you’re building out a van then you will be adding a lot of weight. You’ll need to adjust your suspension (we’ll talk about that in another post) and ensure you have tires that will deal with that weight. Sprinter’s come standard with E-rated tires (or tyres of you a Brit).
E = 10ply sidewalls I’m going to omit F-rated tires as they’re not common and I feel overkill for a Sprinter van. Here’s a breakdown of common tire ratings. You’ll find a large availability with All Terrain tires that are D rated. While this is fine for Jeeps and light SUVs, it’s not enough for a Sprinter van.
| B | 4 ply |
| C | 6 ply |
| D | 8 ply |
| E | 10 ply |
| F | 12 ply |
There are a ton of tires out there for every kind of reason you can imagine. I’ll cover 3 types of tires I’ve found best for vans focused on adventuring, longer trips and general weekend warrior action.
Touring Tires
Overlanding Tires
Winter / Snow Tires
Touring Tires
What’s the best tire for all around vanlife adventuring? In this category I’m sticking to an All Season tire. Something that will be good for light snow and light dirt use but works well when you spend 98% of your time on paved roads. Fuel economy is important but so its grip. It’s great to get a ton of miles from a set of tires, but for us, we are willing to get 50,000 miles out of a set of tires that grip really well in inclimate weather over a set of really hard tires that last for 75,000+ miles. Driving a loaded van in the rain and losing grip (and confidence) can ruin not only your mood, but your trip.
There are way too many tires out there. I’ll be honest here, it’s been challenging to really get a full understanding of all the available tires and they’re capabilities. But with our research, speaking to owners and having our own experiences with tires in this category here are our top picks.
Michelin
MTX M+S
This is the tried and true 🤷
Agilis CrossClimate
Severe Snow Service Rated. This tire is the replacement for the old Michelin XTS M&S tire. We had the XTS on a Tundra and an ‘85 Suburban ¾ ton we drove to Baja, Utah and Burningman. We loved that tire and found it a perfect balance of 90% road and 10% dirt. This new CrossClimate is highly rated and gets rave reviews for being a quiet ride and capable snow tire. Don’t expect it to be something crazy good in deep snow, but 6” or less they tend to grip really well and were confidence inspiring.
NCV3 Sprinter 3500
Fitted with Michelin Agilis CrossClimate 235/85/16
(1.5” over stock - stock susp.)
(Credit: Hein)
Notable: Bridgestone DURAVIS R500 HD
It does come in the stock LT245/75R16 size but last we checked that was the largest size. So if you’re thinking of going up in size like we like to do it ruled this tire out completely. They’re not the best in the snow but can easily last over 100,000 miles. Some say they’ve run 200,000 miles on a set. 🤯 That’s just crazy to us. It’s also not that great in the snow. So if you’re in the south or running primarily in the summer on long trips, these might do just fine. This is also something you might run on a Dually (215/85R16) on all 6 tires.
Overlanding Tires
What the hell is an ‘overlanding tire’ anyway? Well, basically any tire that will look aggressive (duh, we want a bad ass looking tire on our van!) and perform off-road to get you to that instagram perfect camping spot. You know the one where you open the rear doors and take a pic of your feet sticking out of the covers overlooking some lake in British Columbia. But lets get real. Even a 4x4 Sprinter isn’t a Jeep Rubicon or some lifted Land Cruiser. It’s got limitation simply because, well… it’s a tall and many times a really long van. So you’re “off-roading” is going to be mainly limited to dirt roads with the occasional double track without any gnarly rocks or drops.
(AT) The typical tire that fits in this category is the All Terrain (A/T). The sweet spot where this tire works is when a tire will spend 80% of it’s time on the road and 20% of it’s time off-road.
(MT) Another possible tire that fits in this category is a Mud-Terrain (MT). These are way more aggressive with large blocks of tread and large gaps that shed rocks and mud from the tread. They look badass but tend to be really loud, add vibration to the drive on pavement and don’t provide very good fuel economy. But damn they look good.
Cooper ST Max
This is a 255/85-16. (32.8”)
Credit: gltrimble
Toyo Open Country
235/70R16 on a T1N wil minimal or no trimming
This is a very popular upgrade for the Sprinter.
BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain
KM2’s in 285/75R17
Credit to Treadmagazine
